The present invention relates to a pump assembly with an L- or U-shaped separating container with a pump unit mounted thereupon.
A pump assembly of this kind is disclosed in German Patent Application No. 24 60 268. In this assembly, the separating container is in the shape of a U lying down, on which the pump unit is mounted. The gas-liquid mixture expelled by the liquid ring pump is conducted at the free end of one leg of the U into the separating container through an inlet opening provided in said leg, and the gas escapes from the separating container at the free end of the other leg of the U through a corresponding outlet opening. In this separating container, there is a continuous path between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, above the gas chamber of the separating container, through which path the atmospheric noise generated by the pump can propagate undamped.
As a result of the separating container being located beneath the liquid ring pump, the latter drains completely when stopped, so that restarting is possible only with appropriate auxiliary measures.